Stoneleigh-Burnham School students in IB Biology recently completed their months-long “Trout in the Classroom” project by releasing the Brook Trout they had raised into a state-approved river near the Greenfield, Mass., school.

The project began in December when Stoneleigh-Burnham School received 200 eggs from a hatchery in Palmer, Mass. On January 10, the eggs began hatching. The students raised the Brook Trout in a large fish tank inside the entrance to the Jesser Science Building. Students set up the tank and monitored its water quality and studied stream habitat. The goals of the project included fostering an appreciation of our water resources and a conservation ethic, and promoting an understanding of our local ecosystem.

Taylor Williams, SBS STEaM coordinator and science teacher, said releasing the trout was successful and fun experience for the students. Williams noted that the Trout in the Classroom project has interdisciplinary applications in science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, fine arts, and physical education.

Trout in the Classroom is promoted through the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Trout Unlimited Organization. For more information, visit Trout Unlimited: http://www.tu.org/about

Since 1869, Stoneleigh-Burnham School has been preparing girls in grades 7-12 for college and the world. Stoneleigh-Burnham is an academic community with an international perspective that inspires girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect and intellectual curiosity. For more information: www.sbschool.org